ABSTRACT
It may be because humans have such a poor sense of smell, probably one of the worst in the animal kingdom, that we do not realise how much more highly developed is the horse’s sense of smell. It may well be almost as powerful and acute as that of a dog, an animal renowned for its ability to follow scent trails, sniff out any substance or recognize and point out to its handler any scent connected with people and other animals, alive or dead. There is no documented record of a horse being specifically trained to do this sort of work, but horses certainly follow scent trails of their own accord. Because horses are so very adaptable and trainable, there seems to be no reason why it would not be possible to utilize this natural ability, although it is much more convenient to use an animal the size of a dog.
